One of the most interesting features that I'll explore is that you can now create WebServices in the database tier directly, without resorting to "add ons" or even the use of IIS at all. One of the many extensions to Transact SQL is the new CREATE ENDPOINT statement, which allows the developer to create an endpoint directly from SQL Server 2005, which hooks right into the Kernel Mode HTTP.SYS driver, exposing functions and stored procedures written either in T-SQL or native CLR methods/classes.
Read more...

Are you tired of struggling with T-SQL to encapsulate the logic your applications need to get data into and out of SQL Server? Now you can bypass SQL altogether, and write logic that runs directly within SQL Server in your favorite .NET language.
Read more...